Lyn Stanley London With A Twist - Live At Bernie's - The Challenge

Limited Edition 180g 45rpm LP!
Take The Direct-To-Disc vs Tape-To-Disc Challenge!
Only 300 Units Pressed On Initial Run!

 The three songs on this LP are original master recordings and were recorded at Bernie Grundman's Mastering Studio on January, 20, 2019. This 45rpm 180 gram audiophile quality disc will take the same three songs recorded on two different takes within minutes of one another. Side A will have Take One and Side B will have Take Two. Everything else is the same – but on one side you will hear the Direct-To-Disc lacquer version and on the other side you will hear the Tape to (Lacquer) Vinyl version. The songs are 1) Goody Goody; 2) Love Letters; and 3) Bye Bye Blackbird. Not only will you hear the slight variations in the takes but you will also be able to make your own assessment of the quality of both analog recording techniques. Limited pressing non-numbered.

To clarify, this 45rpm single LP has the SAME three songs on each side from two different takes recorded within 30 minutes of each other. The reel to reel was captured at the same moment the metal lacquer master was receiving the recording information on the lathe at Bernie Grundman's Mastering Studio.

Here are the tests you can perform with this Challenge LP:

1. Sound difference between 45rpm/180 gram Metal Lacquer Mastered analog Direct-To-Disc versus Studio captured traditional analog Reel-To-Reel version made into a vinyl record (Tape-To-Disc).

2. Track take differences between two complete three song takes of Side C's songs in the album London With A Twist-LIVE at Bernie's.

3. If you have London With A Twist-LIVE at Bernie's album, you can compare red vinyl versus black vinyl for sound differences. One of the sides on the Challenge LP is in the regular album.

Lyn Stanley has been awarded Female Jazz Vocalist of The Year 2018 from one of the most visible public radio stations in the USA, KKJz-Los Angeles who have the highest Nielsen ratings for jazz radio audiences in the U.S.

Mr. Levine notes that Ms. Stanley's recordings "are a revival of some of the greatest hits ever produced for Broadway Shows and Hollywood movies. They are chestnuts deserving to be reintroduced to the America public. The great American Songbook lives again with the added benefit of 'State Of The Art' recording techniques thanks to Lyn Stanley."

About London With A Twist - Live At Bernie's:
Part two of jazz recording artist Lyn Stanley's Julie London tribute project is a very rare Direct to Disc Live album with LA's top Jazz players who named themselves the Jazz Mavericks. Featuring Otmaro Ruiz (piano), Mike Lang (piano), Chuck Berghofer (bass), Aaron Serfaty (drums), John Chiodini (guitar) and Luis Conte (percussion), the Jazz Mavericks created arrangements for incredibly creative music plus over the top sound from the best engineers in LA.

While both Lyn and London could be described as sultry and sophisticated singers, the album is an appreciation, not an imitation of London’s material selections. Stanley puts her own distinctive stamp on the material London performed and has decided to include some of Julie London’s husband’s works as well as pop songs that set a lively pace to a live album. Songs include: Route 66, written by Julie London’s second husband, Bobby Troup, Let There Be Love, Body and Soul, Pink Cadillac, You Never Can Tell, Lover Man, Bye Bye Blackbird and many more.

In addition to acclaim for her velvety alto, choice of material, and her unique and personal approach to songs, Stanley’s attention to detail in the studio has garnered raves. This recording utilizes the best possible lathe in Los Angeles, tracked at Bernie Grundman Mastering studio in Hollywood. The ever so fastidious mastering guru, Bernie Grundman, commandeered the coveted Grundman studio lathe. In addition, Bernie’s long time associate and fellow audiophile, world famous multi-Grammy winning engineer, Allen Sides ensured the highest quality sound and mixing. Allen has engineered over 1,000 records with major studio artists selling over one billion records, including Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now. Allen was also supported by Capitol Studios top engineer, Steve Genewick.

Lyn can be counted on to surround herself in the studio with the crème de la crème of musicians. For this venture, she aims for the intimate sound of piano, bass, drums/percussion, and guitar. Lyn has engaged Arturo Sandoval’s long time extraordinary pianist, Otmaro Ruiz, along with her previous collaborators including legendary studio jazz pianist Mike Lang, Wrecking Crew and Frank Sinatra’s bassist Chuck Berghofer, plus featured guitarist John Chiodini (Peggy Lee and Natalie Cole), percussionist Luis Conte (James Taylor touring artist) and award winning Latin percussionist/drummer, Aaron Serfaty.

While speaking of the album Lyn says "You have to be into the musical moment. There's pressure on everyone—me, the musicians—we have to be totally prepared. But it's a great format if we execute it well. I plan to let the real experience of a 'live' recording happen, even the countdowns, so my fans can feel like they are live with us in the studio 'lounge.'"

"I'm not going to rave about the music because I've done it already. The Challenge LP consists of three cuts from the sessions for London With a Twist: Live at Bernie's so you know I really enjoyed the album and its stunning sound quality and that I recommend it and all that. The Challenge LP, therefore, isn't something to be reviewed, it's something that requires your active participation. Here's the deal: on Side A, those three tracks–'Goody Goody,' 'Love Letters' and 'Bye Bye Blackbird'–were recorded tape-to-disc, and Side B is the same three songs but direct-to-disc. To make things more interesting (and difficult, from an A/B perspective) is that these are two consecutive takes that happened minutes apart. Until we okay human cloning, this is the closest we can come. Or is it? I decided to sit down and listen to The Challenge LP and do the comparison immediately. Here's what happened with The Challenge LP. I listened to one side, and liked the sound. Then I flipped to the other side, and liked it better. I thought I heard a little more detail the second time around. So I flipped the LP again and THIS side now sounded better. I heard firmer, deeper bass and the soundstage opened up. Then I flipped it once more and Lyn Stanley's voice sounded more centered and focused, and I could hear more of her humorous inflections. This album, of course, sounds spectacular. So as I tried to make sonic comparisons, the sound quality of this recording kept pulling me into the present. I feel like it wiped out my memory of the last side. So maybe at this point of my life, I no longer care about bearing down and conducting a strict A/B comparison. I just want to enjoy music. I'm still listening to The Challenge LP from Lyn Stanley, flipping the LP over and over every few minutes, and I keep thinking 'this'll be the one.' Until that happens, let me know what you think." - Marc Phillips, Part-Time Audiophile Read more!

Features:
• Limited Initial Run Of 300 Units
• 180g Vinyl LP
• 45rpm
• Recorded live at Bernie Grundman's Mastering Studio, Hollywood, CA, January 19-20, 2019
• This album is a live recording, no alterations have been made to any part
• No Auto-Tune, ProTools or Melodyne
• Three original master recordings
• Two live-consecutive three song takes from Side C of London With A Twist Direct-To-Disc 12 song album
• One full take on Sides A & B of this disc
• Recording & Mixing Engineer: Allen Sides
• Disc Mastering by Bernie Grundman
• Printed by Pallas, Germany

Musicians:
Lyn Stanley, vocals
John Chiodini, guitar
Otmaro Ruiz, piano
Chuck Berghofer, bass
Aaron Serfaty, drums
Luis Conte, percussion

Selections:

Side A:
Tape-To-Disc
1. Goody Goody
2. Love Letters
3. Bye Bye Blackbird

Side B:
Direct-To-Disc
1. Goody Goody
2. Love Letters
3. Bye Bye Blackbird